Winner of The USA Literary Golden Seal Award! – Be who you are and say what you feel; because those who mind don’t matter; and those who matter, don’t mind! – Dr. Seuss – Writer, Cartoonist and Animator

I am watching this Television News coverage of a father in Turkey who is very proud of his son who is by his side and who is curtailing his further studies in University in order to join the Turkish Army to fight for his homeland with the perceived threat from The PKK – The Kurdish Workers Fighters – who are demanding for a separate home land or more autonomy; depending on your point of view. The Reporter makes a statement that the Turkish youngsters are all interested to join the Eastern flank where there are frontline activities with the PKK, rather than the Northern flank where there is no activity of any kind.

Apart from the sad and tragic fact that a supposedly majority Islamic army (be it secular in outlook and focus per se) is fighting a supposedly rebellious Islamic fighter force (something that seems to be now regular in other countries too), what else gives? Nothing new or strange here. We do not know what will happen next if Turkey will go ahead and attack North Iraq (Kurdistan), but we sure know now that Pakistan has declared a State of Emergency!

If you look at the Israeli Army, a population of less than 4 million peoples is able to put at bay larger Army population of several Arab countries. Forgetting for a moment that they are fully backed by The Western World, and even discreetly by even countries like Russia and The ex Eastern block countries (and some other countries of The rest of the world too for that matter); it raises a paramount fundamental question of how and why this is possible. Forgetting also the valid pertinent point that when you fight to defend your homeland, than the person who is attacking or maybe perceived to be attacking you for that matter.

If you look at our young Arab youth, and is not fair to assume, generalize and stereo type – but you will find that they are looking for quick gains, results and achievements at the shortest of time available and at minimum exertion, efforts and input too. Send some graduate for a professional course and he comes back saying he is now experienced and needs more power, authority and promotion.

I have interviewed in my career time graduates in some places, and they are all interested in what perks and facilities that they will get, instead of what inputs, efforts and drive they will have to put in before they can be respected, recognised and to be acknowledged. I am talking here generally – let me make myself very crystal clear. Youth are youth – I fully agree – whether Arab or Jewish! No dispute here. And true as human beings we tend to criticize and analyse more those we know better than those we do not know. The maxim ‘Familiarity breeds contempt’ did not just come out from the blue!

For all fits and purposes, the young Jewish graduates may not be any different from the Arab one per se! No one amongst us can know or tell. But how many Arab youths have you seen that would volunteer to join a regular Arab Army and go and fight and die for a national cause? Forget for a moment the suicide bombers, who have been twisted their frames of minds and thoughts to kill, maim and murder innocent victims like children queuing up for chocolates and sweets, even if those sweets are from the ‘enemy’?. Or people looking for a job to feed their families are blown up into pieces. Or trying to sell or buy items in the market, or board a bus for whatever reason.

These are wasted and destroyed resources that could have been used and been utilized better, than such wastages, destruction and uselessness. The enemy is not your own brother or sister, even if he or she acts different from you or believes slightly different from you. There is a bigger cause and fight to be made, and not in this way. The enemy is the person who has invaded and occupied your country, not the one who is just hapless and innocent impotent person like that you are, though you have twisted minds and frames not to realize this. You are killing and wiping off the very same person who is against like you are, or striving to live and be as best as he can.

I have studied hard on my own the incidents of the 6 day war in 1967. I studied hard the one in 1973. I studied hard the invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein. And I studied hard the invasion of Iraq by flimsy excuse and reasons of WMD – which up to day are missing. What should wake us all up is the fight and resistance put up by the Lebanese Hezbollah youth in the South against a regular Army force – the most powerful and most feared power force in The Middle East today – The Israeli army!

Let us forget for a minute whether we support or not their philosophies or outlook. They and Hamas and the Iranian youth. Like them or hate them, it does not matter. Even for them for that matter. They too have not forgotten the expression of ‘finish off the job’ to bring them down under control, ridicule, ruin and or reduce their areas of influence and control. Not all the things they did could be supported or cordoned, like sending off missiles blindly and inadvertently and unfortunately killing off and maiming Arab residents, be that they are Israeli Arabs or not.

What am I talking about here? I am talking about the readiness and willingness of Arab youth to be ready and fight for their countries, whether under direct threat or perceived threat. Look at Iran being under threat from powerful nuclear powers, but are not scared or afraid. You may like to call it obstinacy or whatever else. Like my late grandfather used to say – the child cries for a blade or a match box, do not deny him. He will cut or burn himself, which is the way they will learn!

Did we learn before in 1967? In 1973? Even lately cases like Kuwait invasion? Like Iraq invasion? No, we still are defiant and obstinate. We still use threats and defiant languages. We will stand our grounds, stay and fight – we say loud and clear. Necessity is the mother of invention, as the Kuwaiti youths found out to defend their homeland from Saddam army.

Let us try to learn from the enemy. What is it that they are doing that makes them fight, stand their grounds and gets them protected and preserved? It is the National Service that they have. All youth and of graduates and higher education joining the regular army for some years. They get trained and fight alongside the regular army. They become disciplined, cultured and matured by such training. And they become a recognizable and acknowledged force that can tackle almost everything on their own.

When they finish their compulsory military training, they return to civilian lives, but at a press of button can resort back to a reserved recognizable and acknowledged fighting force, to be respected and even feared too. Some of the Arab countries have such National Services. But I do not know I have to admit how it works. I know of a fact only that some Arab students I studied with in UK failed their examinations purposely and willingly – because they did not want to return home to join their National Service, and leave behind their British girlfriends and the UK way of life!

There are some counties in Africa who had copied the Israeli model. They join the regular army for 9 months, and go to work in civilian lives but still wearing the National Service uniforms for 2 years. Then they go for a pass out parade for one month, and become reserve forces. Some may even like the Army life, and look for a future in The Armed Forces or The Police. One sure way to reduce unemployment, and get more highly educated and trained youth in the military forces!

We can start the whole process by a Volunteer force, but we may need to encourage more to come by making it more attractive and enticing to join. When our enemies realize that we have youth in the populace that are disciplined, trained and ready to fight and die for the motherland, they will think twice if not thrice before trying to take advantage of us! It will no doubt instill respect, esteem, culture and values of society if the military training will include these subjects in the curriculum.

All the training must be accompanied with the right religious, social and national indoctrination in order to make the youth be away from wrong mind concepts and being hijacked and controlled wrongly in thoughts and mind by miscreants and ‘lost peoples’.. The National Service should include the women too, who can have their own forces separate from men, in line with our values, culture, heritage and customs.

An idea to seriously think about and consider, I should think??

Thoughts and views most welcome!

N.B. The article was written on November 7th 2007 and was rejected by the newspaper – The Oman Daily Observer – as too ‘political cum radical’!

Today UAE, Qatar and Kuwait are planning for A National Service for its citizens!